Can Business Aviation Solve the Problem of Environmental Activism?

by Ben Sampson (Business Airport International) In the last ten years the existential threat posed by climate change has mixed with social media to create a new type of radical environmental activism. This direct action, sometimes described by more hyperbolic media as eco-terrorism, is taken by citizens with the aim of disrupting everyday life to draw attention to climate change.

Principally happening in Europe and most often perpetrated by young people, the disruption and vandalism has shocked many. Priceless works of art have been damaged in galleries supported by oil companies. Major roads have been blocked during rush hour traffic in order to draw attention to vehicle emissions and pollution.

Business aviation has not escaped the aim of activists in Europe. “Airports are not immune, activism is stopping flights from taking off,” said Rana Walker, Wastyn GR&T Management, a specialist in misinformation and social media speaking at the recent British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA) conference in London.

At Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, the Netherlands during November 2022 protesters blocked private and business aircraft from taking off and landing for eight hours. Organized by Greenpeace and Extinction Rebellion, around 500 people targeted operations at the General Aviation Terminal at Schiphol Oost.

“The airport should be reducing its flight movements, but instead it’s building a new terminal. The wealthy elite are using more private jets than ever, which is the most polluting way to fly,” says Dewi Zloch of Greenpeace Netherlands.

“This is typical of the aviation industry, which doesn’t seem to see that it is putting people at risk by aggravating the climate crisis. This has to stop. We want fewer flights, more trains and a ban on unnecessary short haul flights and private jets.”

The action at Schiphol was followed by similar protests at business airports and FBOs in the UK, Italy, and Germany. The protests were timed to coincide with the start of the COP27 climate change conference in Egypt that month. All the groups involved are demanding a total ban on private jets, and high taxes on airline frequent flyers. “The movement has caught momentum and they are planning action throughout Europe,” says Walker.

Amongst the main themes of the BBGA conference this year were reducing business aviation’s impact on the environment and encouraging young people into the sector. Ironically, young environmental activists tried to disrupt the conference, as they had similar recent events in London. Dressed all in black, shouting rhetoric about environmental damage and the slow pace of change walking around the audience, when asked to participate in the conference they refused.

While aviation is responsible for 2.4% of CO² emissions according to the International Council on Clean Transportation, the sector is taking steps to reduce, mitigate and eventually eliminate its impact on the environment. Meanwhile many other industries are inflicting worse damage on the environment and escaping attention. For example, the EU estimates that the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions – more than aviation and maritime shipping combined. READ MORE

Excerpt from AIN Online: The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) is refuting a recent report from Greenpeace that claims “European private jet pollution doubled in one year.” Conducted by CE Delft, the Greenpeace-commissioned study states that the number of private flights increased by 64 percent in 2022 and 87 percent at Dutch Airports. It further claims that CO2 emissions from private flights in the Netherlands more than doubled during the time—amounting to 53,000 tonnes—and called for the EU and national governments “to ban private jets as part of a plan to tackle the climate crisis in a more equitable way.”

EBAA called the data incorrect and a distorted picture since it does not take into account data from before the Covid pandemic. “The number of European business flights is compared by Greenpeace to a historically low point during the Covid-19 crisis, instead of a regular year without travel restriction,” EBAA said. “This creates an image of explosive growth even if that did not actually take place.”

Pointing to Eurocontrol data comparing 2022 with 2019 activity, EBAA said business aviation activity has grown by 7 percent instead of 64 percent.

EBAA reiterated the small contribution of business aviation to global CO2 emissions, noting that worldwide it represents just 0.04 percent of the total. Further, the association maintained that business aviation has served as a breeding ground for aviation sustainability. READ MORE